'I'm lonely' Listener question

hi Clare I am divorced from my wife and we don’t have children. She has remarried. My mum is in her 90s and i said I will go to see her for Christmas Day but the whole thing is just making me feel so lonely. I have people I speak to in work but we don’t have the sort of relationship to meet up afterwards. I did have old friends from college but they are all quite far away and busy with their own things.  I would like to have a partner and I’ve tried to meet someone but nothing seems to work. Each year I just feel more and more alone. I know someone might say loneliness is just my thinking but it doesn’t feel like it.